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A place with many names over the centuries- Nilgiri, Niladri, Nilachal,
Purushotam, Sankhakshetra, Srikshetra, Jagannath Dham, Jagannath Puri-
 Puri is
dominated by two great forces, one created by God, and the other by man. A very
large part of Puri's population is connected with the Temple in one way or the
other.
PLACES TO VISIT
Raghurajpur
The artists village of Raghurajpur, 16 km from Puri, is famous for its
patachitras created by traditional chitrakaras, who have, for centuries, also
churned out palm-leaf etchings with exquisite detail. Quite a few of the
craftsmen are winners of national awards.
Satapara
Satapara, a retreat in nature on Chilika Lake, is opened up to the tourists. For
its location near the confluence of the lake with the ocean and proximity to
Puri (48 km), it is an ideal spot to enjoy Chilika. The thrilling sight of
dolphins round the year and abundance of migratory and resident birds in winter
make it a preferred place for a
vacation
with nature.
Choudwar
Choudwar, a growing industrial area was once the capital of Somakuli Keshari
Kings of Orissa. Eight prominent Siva pithas were established by the Keshari
dynasty in the vicinity of Choudwar which is now in ruins. Tradition records
that it was the capital of Virat, the brother-in-law of Kichaka. The five
Pandava brothers with their consort Draupadi took shelter in Choudwar in their
secret exile.
Chhatia
Popularly known as Chhatiabata, Chhatia is a sacred place of pilgrimage. The
shrine of Lord Jagannath at Chhatia is a modern piece of Orissan temple
architecture. Nearby one can find the archaeological remains of Amravati-Kataka,
one of the five important forts of Chodaganga Deva. Amaravati with the back drop
of the hill "Dhania" presents an attractive sight.
Jajpur
Otherwise known as Vaitarani Tirtha, Jajpur with Goddess Viraja (Durga) as
its presiding deity is one of the sacred places of pilgrimage in Orissa. The
place has its unique importance in India as Navigaya Kshetra where pinda is
offered for the satisfaction of the ancestors. The shrine of Sweta Varaha (the
white boar incarnation of Vishnu) along with hundreds of other shrines here made
Jajpur a Tirtha par excellence. The "Dasavamedha Ghat", the flight of steps
leading to the Vaitarani where the ten horse sacrifices were performed is a
great sanctified spot for the Hindus.
Ansupa
Ansupa the small but picturesque lake holds a prominent position in the tourist
map of Orissa and offers an asylum to the migratory birds in winter. The play of
the shadow of Saranda mountain and surrounding bamboo and mango groves on the
rippling waters of Ansupa make it a real thing of beauty. One can have a boat
journey or go for fishing in the lake.
Ansupa is 70 kms from Cuttack and 20 kms from Raja-athagarh station, connected
with regular bus service.
Ratnagiri
Lalitgiri Udayagir
These three hills comprise a remarkable buddhist complex. Hieun-T'sang, the
Chinese pilgrim found it to be the seat of a flourishing Buddhist University
called "Puspagiri". Extensive ruins of brick pagodas, sculptured stone portals
and esoteric Buddhist images testifying its ancient glory have been unearthed.
Ratnagiri is the gem of this complex. The magnificently carved door jambs of the
Vihar and superbly finished Buddha images from perhaps the greatest
concentration of Buddhist sculpture of the post-Gupta period. Ratnagiri is 70
kms, Lalitgiri is 55 kms and Udayagiri is 60 kms from Cuttack.
Dhavaleswar
A small island in
the Mahanadi, the temple of Dhavaleswar is situated on a hillock. Though a new
structure, sculptures of 10 / 11th century A.D. are found in the temple
premises.
TEMPLES
Jagannath
Temple
It is the earliest Ganga monument of Orissa, but it must be noted that the
ganga temples of much earlier dates are still to traced in the Andra regions,
the original seat of power of Gangas. There is adefinite mention in all the
later copper plate records of the successor of Chodaganga that he was the
bulider of this great temple at Puri. According to some evidence sources that
Chodaganga had began this huge structure and one his successor Ananagabhimadev
III completed it or added the Jagamohan to it. The height of the Jagannath
temple of Puri as calculated as 215 feet 8 inches. It is therefore the loftiest
religious edifice of Orissa. At present the thick coat of plaster which had
covered the structure for centuries has been removed.
As is usual in
all great temples of the period, the monument stands on a high platform which is
connected with the ground level by a height of 22 very very big steps. The
edifies is masive and strong and is a product of accummulated experience of the
past in temple architecture and this factor has enabled it to with stand the
ravages of time.
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